Kings of Wessex Edward the Elder AD 899-924 Silver Penny East Anglia Type

Kings of Wessex Edward the Elder AD 899-924 Silver Penny

East Anglia Type

S1084, 22mm, 1.53g

A fantastic East Anglian style portrait of this early British king, seldom seen in this condition. Minor edge loss does not detract from this overall high grade coin.

This coin comes with a rough find area provenance and is recorded with the Early Medieval Coinage database held by the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. (Ref 2023.0510)

Edward the Elder (899-924): Son of Alfred the Great, Edward spent much of his reign retaking the Danelaw from its largely Scandinavian-descended inhabitants. By the end of his tenure, most of the territory had been re-absorbed and the Danish Jarls firmly subjugated by both force and diplomacy. A great soldier, his military exploits have somewhat dominated other important aspects of his reign – such as his socio-political re-organisation of Mercia and East Anglia into new administrative shires. Only recently has Edward been studied in depth, overshadowed to a degree by both his famous father and contemporary ally in the English fightback – Lady Æthelflæd of Mercia. His coinage is highly varied, including both portrait and non-portrait types as well as very rare ‘pictorial’ issues